Pompeo Redefines ‘Imminent’

“There is no doubt that there were a series of imminent attacks that were being plotted by Qassem Soleimani. We don’t know precisely when, and we don’t know precisely where, but it was real.”

— Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he didn’t know of any specific targets for planned attacks that justified President Trump’s decision to kill Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani, CBS News reports.

Surprise! Sessions Lied!

Screen Shot 2017-06-16 at 3.36.55 PMAs children most of us learned that the two hardest things about telling lies is 1) remembering exactly what you told to whom and when, and 2) the potential of someone telling on you. U.S. Attorney general Jeff Sessions is finding out that both pitfalls amount to a “gotcha” following his sworn testimony Tuesday before the Senate.

Sessions rendered the first potential pitfall moot by having a case of amnesia so bad it would embarrass a soap opera star. He also pulled his Southern gentleman and respect for the norms of the Justice Department act (because we’ve seen how the Trump administration and the McConnell Senate uphold longstanding traditions and norms) to stonewall his way through his testimony.

But it appears that Sessions has been tripped up by number two. Or maybe it was a combination of forgetting that he invited Richard Burt, a lobbyist for Russia, to dinner — twice! — and then counting on said lobbyist to keep his mouth shut about it. In Alabama I believe they pronounce it puhjuhray, Mr. AG.

The Guardian has the full story here.

Trump Lies More than Any Other Candidate — Ever

65%

Of what Donald Trump says is lying, according to the Washington Post: “There’s never been a presidential candidate like Donald Trump — someone so cavalier about the facts and so unwilling to ever admit error, even in the face of overwhelming evidence. At last count, nearly 65 percent (17 of 27) of our rulings of his statements turned out to be Four Pinocchios, our worst rating. By contrast, most politicians tend to earn Four Pinocchios 10 to 20 percent of the time. (Moreover, most of the remaining ratings for Trump are Three Pinocchios.)”

A Growing Tolerance for Lying

There’s a good chance that if you’re reading this you don’t believe it. … It hasn’t exactly been a banner year for truth-telling in the 2016 election, with flubs, rumors, misleading stats and flat-out falsehoods uttered on the campaign trail and ping-ponged around the social media universe with regularity. But in many cases, furious fact-checking from the mainstream media has not only failed to prompt solemn apologies from the worst offenders — it’s made them stronger.

— Carrie Dann, NBC News

Lies, Damned Lies and Trump/Carson Lies

When Hillary Clinton lies, she generally does so with legalistic care. You get the sense that she knows what the exact truth is. But you also get the sense that she knows she’ll suffer if she provides the whole truth, so she shades the facts with interpretations and embellishments that flatter or favor her. … Trump’s and Carson’s lies, on the other hand, come from the land of bullshit, that wonderful place where loose facts and wishful thinking mate to produce a quotable soundbite. They’re not trying to deceive you in a Clintonian fashion. They’re indifferent to the truth, content to say the first things that pop into their brains.

Politico

Is Brian Williams Done as NBC’s National News Anchor?

Nobody can say Williams doesn’t deserve the scrutiny he’s now facing. If a politician, corporate leader, university professor or prominent clergyman made similarly inaccurate claims, the press would be digging their professional graves with backhoes… Now the once respected anchor has become a national punching-bag, as Twitter nation, comedians and wise guys have taken to mocking him. How long Williams can take the abuse depends on how much more his critics dig up on him.

— Jack Shafer, writing for Politico.